The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning, particularly to apparatus for cleaning floor surfaces, and specifically to a unique and novel dust collection system for a floor polishing machine.
High speed burnishing is a floor polishing method using a very fine abrasive disc rotating at 1000 RPM's or more to produce a high "wet look" glass appearance on the floor. Typically a high solids content floor finish material is spread in a thin layer on the floor, allowed to harden, and then burnished with a high RPM burnishing machine. The burnishing process removes the top particles of the floor finish with the fine abrasive rotating disc, producing a smooth glossy appearance. In the process, the top layer of floor finish is removed in the form of a very fine powder. In addition to this powder, the burnishing pad itself wears down. This powder and worn pad material often become airborne because of the air turbulence created by the high speed rotation of the disc. This is undesirable because the powder, material and dust then settle back onto the floor and on furniture and must be removed with a dust mop, vacuum cleaner or similar means.
To reduce the need to dust mop after burnishing or polishing, prior floor polishing means included dust collection systems of various forms. Some prior dust collection systems utilized a separate vacuum device including a fan for creating a vacuum to pick up dirt or dust such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,663,893 and 3,522,679. Further, many prior dust collection systems utilized the well known cyclone effect created by the rotation of the operative member inside of a housing to deliver air entrained with dirt, dust, and other debris and created by the rotation of the operative member relative to a working surface such as shown in floor maintenance devices such as in U.S. Pat. No. 1,093,820; in shoe cleaning apparatus such as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,752; in lawn mowers such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,413,783; in abrading tools such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,110, and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,064,292 shows a fan attached to the drive shaft for the polishing or other floor-maintenance element for drawing dust-laden air from adjacent the floor and discharging it through a dust-collection bag. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,178,654 shows a fan which is rotated at a higher rotational speed than the polishing brush. U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,440 shows an X-pad for creating air currents and which eliminates the need for a fan. U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,956 shows an impeller integrally formed on the hub portion of the polishing member.
However, each of these collection systems is deficient in various respects in ease of manufacture and assembly, effective collection, economies, operation, and the like. For example, such collection systems interfere with the ability of the housing to deform to follow the floor surface as is utilized in many current types of floor burnishing machines and in the effective collection of dust and debris, especially around the entire periphery of the floor polishing or other maintenance element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,151 represented a major advancement in the art of collection systems for floor polishing machines. However, deficiencies arose as two separate filter and collection bags were utilized. This was disadvantageous because normal maintenance required removal and replacement of such filter and collection bags at multiple locations rather than a single location and enclosing such filter and collection bags at multiple locations such as for aesthetic reasons was costly and constructionally complicated.
Thus a need continues for a floor polishing machine which provides dust and debris control and which overcomes the deficiencies and disadvantages of prior collection systems.